Magic, stupidity, and malice

by John on August 21, 2009

When you mix this quote from Author C. Clark

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

with Halnon’s Razor

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

you get Grey’s law

Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice.

Update: Thanks to Wedge for leaving a comment identifying the last quote as Grey’s law.

{ 1 trackback }

Hanlon’s razor and corporations — The Endeavour
01.18.11 at 09:38

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

1

Wedge 08.22.09 at 03:48

The saying has a name “Grey’s Law”, but so far as I can tell nobody can definitively determine the phrase’s origin.

2

tubin 08.22.09 at 10:28

Thanks for posting this. It’s deceptively simple but seems to apply to many aspects of personal and professional life.

3

Jared 08.26.09 at 22:32

“Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice.” — sounds like an apt description of politicians.

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